Hotline helps out when coping with Injuries It has not been a great running summer for this cowpoke. Intoxicated with the near perfect spring weather and riled up from looking over the season's race calendar, I went out and did a bunch of hill intervals and 
| Bill Baldus |
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reinjured an old (summer of '93) hamstring injury. That was in April. The sports medicine folks call it an
"avulsion," where the tissue tears away from the bone. Mine is right where the top end of the hamstring connects to the pelvis or the femur or some bone up in there. All summer I've been mildly depressed about it and tell myself that it will get better soon and that it's really not that bad. Well, five months later, it's still bugging me and I have no idea how to heal
the injury, short of abandoning running altogether. I can't really take a full stride on the weak leg and I know that any kind of speed work or distance would do me in. In fact, I can't even sprint after my kids on the playground. Running for the bus every morning hurts, too. Looking back on that workout, it was probably premature. I lacked
mileage. I lacked faster runs on flat courses I pushed too hard and did too many intervals.
Something similar happened last fall when I read the November issue of Silent Sports and got overly excited about the fast–approaching ski season. Then I went banana cakes with a vigorous weights and calisthenics session, followed by 440s on the track. The short–term result was an incredible endorphin rush, but the long term was an aggravating
lower back injury that scared me and hurt like the dickens.
Unlike cross country skiers and bikers, runners have a lot of injuries. Rafts of injuries, in contrast. We're kind of like those avid Chicago Bears fans on Saturday Night Live who take care of their numerous heart attacks by thumping their own chests. Everyone has them, most are minor, and some are serious. Injuries are dangerously common in this sport.
Wallowing in the deep pit of running injury despair recently, I remembered the magnet. Yes – the magnet! Years ago at a 10K, I picked up a magnet at a sponsor's table with information for the Institute for Athletic Medicine and the Running Injury Hotline. This free and easy service had saved me in the past and it would save me now. Here's how it works: You know how you can call the Careline after–hours to talk to a nurse to see if you
or your loved one is sick enough to come in? The hotline works the same way. The institute has one of their physical therapists or sports medicine doctors on call all the time. You call the hotline and a receptionist pages the person on call, who then calls you back to discuss the injury and come up with a plan for managing it.
I spoke with the institute's Elizabeth Smith to get some background for this article, but also to beg her to help me cure my injury. She sounded
like an angel on the phone because she spoke clearly and with confidence that she knew exactly what was going on with my hamstring. Smith was sure that the hamstring could be fully restored! If it were an office visit, I would have hugged her. She said that when most runners have an injury, they have a hard time just plain stopping. No running – cold turkey. Smith mentioned that the running guru and coach, Jeff Galloway, uses a simple
rule of thumb for early signs of an injury. He says if there is pain, take one to two days off and do some sort of cross training activity. If that doesn't do the trick, Smith recommends the RICE self–care approach for dealing with an injury. RICE stands for rest, ice, compression and elevation. If that technique fails to help, contact a medical professional.
The hotline is for individuals who are recovering from a running injury or
are training with one. The call and consultation is a free service to anyone. (I double–checked, so go ahead and call.) Here's the number: 612/672–2722. There are eight Institute for Athletic Medicine clinics throughout the Twin Cities metro area.
The hotline is just one element of the institute's running program. The brochure states that their physical therapists and athletic trainers – all runners themselves – understand the delicate biomechanics of running and
that they will "work with you to design a rehabilitation program to improve your running mechanics and reduce your risk of running–related injuries." Other options include a complete examination and treatment of everything from low–back pain to stress fractures (nasty things – had two of them in high school myself). You can get a video analysis of your running gait to check for any problems in running form, running–specific exercise
"prescription" to increase strength and flexibility, support in managing and monitoring your injury, and rehabilitation. Only the phone consultation is free, by the way. Look into whether your health insurance might cover the rest.
Smith says that they work with everyone from novice runners to elite racers. The institute staff notice that referrals really increase right before major races. A physician's referral is preferred, but self–referrals are
welcome, too. Now that's some great customer service! This way I don't have to make an appointment and go to Health Partners to try to talk my busy doctor into a referral to see a physical therapist.
Another great service the institute's running program offers are free footwear screenings. On the first Saturday of every month, there are two physical therapists at the Run–n–Fun running shoe store in St. Paul. A screening includes evaluating your foot mechanics, looking at shoe wear
and any orthotics you might be using, and asking about your history of injuries (or, hopefully, lack thereof!). Once all pertinent information is gathered, they will make an appropriate shoe recommendation.
I stopped in there the first Saturday in September to look for gym shoes for my sprouting seven–year–old and observed the institute's P.T.s in action. By 10:45, they had already seen 13 people and it seemed to be
getting even busier as the morning wore on. A high school cross–country runner from Burnsville was advised to ditch some orthotics and ancient shoes he had been wearing. A woman in her fifties was getting her arches looked at while asking about pronation. A mom and dad waited patiently with their daughter to be seen. Of course, I wanted to ask them all sorts of questions but decided to let them go about their business of helping runners continue running.
I called my HMO today and they gave me a referral to go through the running program at the Institute for Athletic Medicine. My long summer of denial is over. I have grabbed the bull by the proverbial horns and, being cautious with my left hamstring, will wrestle him to the dirt. Just having made the decision to deal directly with my injury has been exhilarating. Like Pekabo Street healing one of her numerous knee injuries, I will do
exactly what they tell me to do. I will be a zealot on the road to recovery. When I get there and feel great, I promise to take it easy when doing speedwork. Promise.
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